Attaching device



Dec. 8, 1936. V A FLOOD 2,063,155

ATTACHING DEVICE Filed April 30, 1934 J ,Z-FwenZa: 1

Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATTACHING DEVICE Application April 30, 1934, Serial No. 723,170

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improved fastening devices and more particularly to devices of the type provided with a flexible strand or filament which may be in the form of a string loop and a cooperating retainer. A device of this type, for example, may be employed to hold a tag in place upon an article or" merchandise such as a garment or a sheet of fabric. In accordance with this invention a. simple sheet metal blank having straight parallel edges and cut from ribbon stock may be bent about the strand ends and more commonly about the ends of a string loop associated with a price tag or the like. For this I purpose the partially formed retainer may have a generally U-shaped or trough-like form and the ends of the string may be disposed in diverging directions within the blank which is then bent over upon the string so that the ends of the string are juxtaposed to the ends of the blank and so that portions of the string extend from the blank between the inbent edges of the same. Thus, a small generally cylindrical retainer is provided in which the ends of the string are firmly fixed. A retainer of this type may be inserted, for example, through an opening in a piece of cloth so that the retainer in its normal position extends in engagement with the surface of the cloth at opposite sides of the opening and may effectively oppose any tendency to pull the string away from the cloth.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a blank which may be employed in forming a retainer;

Fig. 2 is a similar View of a bent blank or partially formed retainer;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of such a partially formed retainer showing the manner in which the ends of the filament element or string are disposed in relation to the blank;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the parts in the same position as that illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of the retainer and the string, illustrating the manner in which the blank is bent about the string to complete the making of the attaching device;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of an assembly of tags with associated string sections combined with an elongate blank which may be-bent and cut to form attaching devices of the general character shown in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of an attaching device combined with a tag.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 illustrates a flat, rectangular blank I which may be cut from thin ductile sheet metal,

the blank being provided with opposite parallel elongate edges 2. Such a blank may be bent to have a generally U-shaped cross section as shown in Fig. 2, the edges 2 being disposed in the same plane and above a parallel line coinciding with the diameter of a semi-circle which is substantially defined by the bent mid portion of the blank. In other words, the mid portion of the blank is bent into substantially semi-cylindrical form with edge portions extending outwardly parallel to each other for a short distance. Such a blank may be arranged to receive the ends of a filament such as the ends of a string loop 4 ar ranged in the general manner illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. For this purpose, the extremities of the string may be arranged in juxtaposition to the ends of the blank and the adjoining end sections of the string may be disposed within the semi-cylindrical portion of the blank extending toward each other to a region substantially midway between the ends of the blank, from which string sections extend outwardly substantially at right angles to the general extent of the blank. Thus, as shown in Figs, 3 and'4, the end sections of the string are designated by numeral 6 and extend to substantially right-angled bends I from which the string may extend to form a loop or the like. With the string or filament disposed in this manner the blank is then bent into a substantially cylindrical form so that the edges 2 are brought into close juxtaposition at each end of the blank and are spaced at its mid portion to provide an opening through which the strand sections may extend, although, if desired, the metal may be here clinched against the string to pinch the same. If desired the mid portions of the parallel edges of the blanks may be notched, so that the notches in the juxtaposed edges of the bent blank register to afford an opening, such as designated by numeral 3 in Fig. 5, through which the string sections extend.

The size of the blank is so related to the diameter of the string that the end portions of the latter are firmly gripped in place. Thus a retainer is provided consisting of a small cylindrical metal casing or bar l0 having a diameter slightly greater than that of the string and being normally disposed substantially at right angles to the portions of the string which extend therefrom.

In practice, as shown in Fig. '7, the string 4 may be in the form of a loop extending through an opening I I in a suitable tag I 2, such as a price tag. The small diametered tubular retainer l0 may be inserted through an opening in a piece of fabric, as for example in a garment, and the tendency of the retainer to lie substantially at right angles to the adjoining string sections causes the retainer to be positioned so that it can not readily be removed from the fabric. Thus, the tag I2 may be firmly anchored in place. In order to facilitate the attachment of a device of this character to a garment, piece of cloth, or the like, I may employ a needle of the general type disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 723,171, filed on even date herewith.

In order to facilitate the manufacture of attaching devices of this character, a method such as illustrated in Fig. 6 may be employed, a continuous string 4 being formed into a series of loops 20 with each loop threaded through a tag I2, and with the intermediate portions 6 of the string extending along a strip 26 of metal or other suitable material. While the strip may be in the form of a fiat ribbon, it is preferably preformed into U-shaped cross section as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. The strip is bent transversely into tubular form to grip the portions 6 of the string and, if desired, so that the edges of the bent blank are clenched against the portions of the string projecting from the sheet metal in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5. Thus, an assembly is provided consisting of a long generally cylindrical sheet metal member 26 from which a plurality of spaced string loops extend. The blank may then be out along the lines 23 substantially midway between adjoining loops to provide a plu rality of retainers combined with tags as shown in Fig. 7. It is evident that this method of manufacturing attaching devices, permits the employment of "ribbon stock without waste of the metal or string and does not require the employment of special dies to cut the sheet metal to odd shapes. This method is described and claimed in my application Serial No. 736,693, filed July 24, 1934.

The present invention permits the provision of an attaching device consisting of a flexible filament or string extending from a small diam.-

etered tubular retainer which may be free from sharp corners and projections and which is ar-- ranged firmly to grip the filament. Since the portions of the string adjoining the retainer tend to lie at right angles thereto an assembly is provided permitting the insertion of the retainer through an opening in a sheet article in such a manner that the retainer will normally lie parallel to the plane of the adjoining portion of the sheet article, particularly when tension is imposed upon the string loop.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An article of the character referred to comprising a tag and an attaching device joined together with str'mg, the attaching device being formed of sheet material bent into a tube and the string having two ends entering the tube intermediate the ends thereof and secured in opposite ends thereof respectively.

2. An article of the character referred to comprising a tag and an attaching device joined together with string, the attaching device comprising a sheet-metal blank having parallel edges and bent into a tube, and the string having two ends entering the tube close together approximately midway between the ends of the tube and thence extending in opposite directions and terminating within the tube.

3. An article of the character referred to comprising a tag and an attaching device joined together with string, the attaching device being formed of a sheet metal blank bent into tubular form, the edges of the blank being spaced apart in a localized region intermediate the ends of the tube to receive said string from the side of the tube and said edges substantially meeting on each side of said region.

CARL A. FLOOD. 

